CMV: It is not wrong to embrace egotism to build self-confidence and look down on people who looks down on you
I considered myself as an egomaniac. However, I do not put people down by default, and I possess knowledge of my own worth.
For example, I have an "acquaintance" who keeps suggesting I should get a car because a grown adult wouldn't look good without one. However, we live in a highly walkable city with excellent public transit, which makes a vehicle an unnecessary liability.
This allows me to avoid the overhead of car ownership, which enables me to direct more of my surplus to savings and investments. I sense that he looks down on my lifestyle. Since his perspective is so tiresome, I find myself looking down on his as well. He struggles through low-paying jobs, whereas I have built a much higher level of income. It brings to mind the essential Dave Ramsey maxim: "Never let someone with no money tell you how to manage your money.
Financially, I follow the r/personalfinance roadmap by maintaining an emergency fund of over $20,000 in a HYSA, maximizing my Roth IRA (invested in VTI), and consistently contributing to my retirement accounts. By living frugally, I maintain a 28% savings rate. This figure that places me statistically far ahead of the average American.
I spend much of my free time watching podcasts from reputable financial gurus like Dave Ramsey, so I know more than most people when it comes to budgeting.
It is why I look down on him. My egotism and self-confidence give me a backbone because his logic is so dumb. Also his background doesn't inspire any confidence.